Croeso i Gymru (Welcome to Wales) is a country in the southwest of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to the east and the Irish Sea to the west. Part of the UK, Wales has its own devolved government, the Senedd (Welsh Parliament), responsible for health, education, and transport. This means the National Health Service (NHS) in Wales is managed separately from services in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The Welsh Government can set its own health policies, funding priorities, and service delivery models tailored to its population’s needs.
Wales’s healthcare system is divided into seven Local Health Boards (LHBs) and three NHS Trusts, each responsible for planning and delivering healthcare services in different regions. Hywel Dda University Health Board (HDUHB) services West Wales, covering Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, and Pembrokeshire. This board supports a population of approximately 385,000 people across the three counties. Hywel Dda University Health Board (HDUHB) is proud to announce its active participation in the Invest4Health project. I4H aligns with their goal of developing sustainable models that prioritise preventative health measures, shifting focus from reactive treatment to proactive, long-term well-being.
Tackling diabetes through early intervention
Hywel Dda’s Invest4Health project focuses on diabetes prevention, a pressing issue in Wales with rising type 2 diabetes cases. To address this, the Health Board is exploring new pathways to engage patients in being more active through a Social Prescribing program. This non-medical intervention aims to improve health and well-
being by referring patients to Social Prescribers, Link Workers, or Community Connectors. These professionals can help access services like exercise classes, social groups, art activities, volunteering, financial advice, and mental health support.
Our local Social Prescribing program is being used to promote healthier lifestyles through physical activity and nutrition programmes, improve early identification of pre-diabetes through community outreach and primary care, and address social determinants of health like food insecurity and low health literacy, which increase diabetes risk. By integrating these efforts into the broader Invest4Health model, Hywel Dda aims to demonstrate how targeted, preventive investment can reduce long-term NHS costs while improving health outcomes across the population.
This initiative has significant implications for our communities. The Health Board collaborates with government, local authorities, GPs, and third-sector organisations to identify areas where preventative investment can make the most impact. Whether it’s through diabetes prevention or food and health education programmes, the goal is to reduce future demand on acute services and enhance the quality of life in west Wales.
As the project progresses and as we learn more from our colleagues in the other I4H testbeds , we anticipate more community-driven health innovations with a stronger emphasis on prevention, equity, and long-term impact.
Hywel Dda University Health Board’s TriTech & Innovation Institute is leading the Welsh Test Bed activities. For more information on our many projects, visit Tritech.nhs.wales.
Richard Davies
